Blade dispenser



Feb. 16, 1965 A, HQLZWARTH ETAL 3,169,660

. BLADE DISPENSER Filed May 23, 1963 2 sheets-sheet 1 1965 H. A. HOLZWARTH ETAL 3,169,560

BLADE! DISPENSER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 23, 1965 unlnunfiunlllllll/ United States Patent 3,169,660 BLADE DISPENSER Henry A. Holzwarth, Bayside, Peter Schladermundt,

Bronxvilie, and John D. Wark, Freeport, N.Y., assignors to Philip Morris Incorporated, New York, N.Y., a

corporation of Virginia Filed May 23, 1963, Ser. No. 282,754 4 Claims. (Cl. 221-102) The invention concerns a combined holder and dispenser for elongated flat objects adapted to be arranged m a stack. The device is particularly advantageous as a magazine and dispenser for blades such as razor blades, including razor blades which are individually wrapped.

The invention has as an object the provision of such a dispenser which is simple in construction and operation embodying a minimum of parts. The device has two major parts comprising a casing and a spring member of a single piece flat band shaped and arranged such as to perform a plurality of functions. The spring member includes a portion at one end arranged to compress elastically the stack with the bottom blade in position for delivery, a portion at the opposite end adapted to serve as a pusher engageable at its extreme end against the end of the bottom blade for advancing it out the exit slot, and an exposed mid portion upon which thumb pressure may be applied efiective to alter the shape of the spring and cause the pusher end to engage an end of and advance a blade, the spring being self-restoring upon release of the thumb pressure. In its more detailed form the spring pusher end is specially formed whereby it is particularly adapted for picking up and advancing individually wrapped blades.

Other features and advantages will be apparent from a consideration of representative embodiments of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying drawings and hereinafter described. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross sectional view of one embodirnent of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a similar view showing the spring member compressed and the bottom article advanced corresponds y;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the spring member and interior parts of the casing showing a particular form of the ejector end of the spring;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary top plan view with a portion of the top of the spring broken away;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a complete dispenser with the bottom article, comprising a wrapped razor blade, in its advanced position;

FIG. 6 is a modified form of dispenser to the extent that it includes a provision for receiving and storing used blades; 7

FIG. 7 is a vertical cross sectional view of a further form of dispenser particularly adapted for dispensing thin objects such as thin unwrapped razor blades;

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7 with the spring member depressed and the bottom blade in an advanced position projecting from the casing; and

FIG. 9 is a view in perspective of the dispenser of FIG. 7 showing the spring member and the'interior base portion of the dispenser but with the upper portion of the cover omitted.

The device as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 for example embodies a main casing of suitable material such as metal or plastic. The casing may be variously designed but in the example shown it includes a cup-shaped rectangular body portion 14 and a cover 11 secured thereto by suitable means such as an interlocking rib and groove seam indicated at 12. The casing is adapted to hold a stack 13 of fiat rectangular objects which may be coupons or tickets, for example, but more particularly in the present case razor blades. The objects are located in 'a space defined by the longitudinal side walls of the casing in one direction and in theopposite direction by the end wall 14 and the abutment 15 which may be formed integrally with or secured to the base plate 16 of the casing. Mounted within the casing is a relatively stiff elastic member 21 in the form of a flat band of substantial width. Normally the member would be made of spring steel. One end of the band is curved around and confined between the top of the stack 13 and the cover plate 11, the end including a portion 22 adapted to overlie and exert a downward pressure on the stack of objects 13. The opposite end 23 of he band 20 bears against the bottom plate 16 of the casing and is adapted to engage at its extreme forward end against the rear end of the bottom object 13a as indicated for example in FIG. 2. The intermediate portion 24 of the spring may be shaped as indicated to provide a flat area adapted to be engaged by the thumb of the user as indicated particularly in FIG. 2. The casing may be suitably cut away to expose more fully the flat portion 24 of the spring member as indicated particularly in FIG. 5. In the form there shown the opening is provided by terminating the rear edge of the top plate 11 at 11a. Preferably also the bottom cup-shaped portion of the casing 16 has a cut out notch 25 at the rear end to facilitate the application of the finger pressure.

The abutment 15 and the spring 26 are complementally formed in a manner to enable the forward end 23 of the spring to pass beyond the abutment 15. As shown particularly in FIGS. 3 and 4 this arrangement comprises a longitudinal slot 28 formed in the spring 2%) adapted to receive therein the abutment 15 as the spring 20 is compressed. Normally, because of the shape and tension of the confined spring 20 the forward end 23 will be automatically compressed and maintained against the bottom plate 16 of the casing. However, as shown particularly in FIG. 3, the side edges of the abutment 15 may be provided with notches 29 and 30 and the slot 28 be of a relatively narrow dimension whereby the edges at each side of the slot 23 of the spring slide in the notches 29 and 30 respectively insuring complete guidance of the pusher end of the spring including maintenance of the end thereof against the bottom plate 16 of the casing. The end wall 14 is provided with an exit slot 31 for the bottom blade such blade being shown in its advanced position 13a in FIG. 2. As has been indicated the application of pressure at the area 24 of the spring causes it to assume a shape generally like that indicated in FIG. 2 and the pusher end to advance along the bottom pushing out the lower blade an adequate distance. The prestressed condition of the spring member 20 insures, of course, that upon release of the thumb pressure from the position shown in FIG. 2 the spring will automatically restore itself to the position shown in FIG. 1 in readiness for the next blade dispensing operation.

As above stated, the device is adapted for the dispensing of various fiat objects and depending upon the thickness and nature of the objects the pusher end of the spring may accordingly be varied in character. FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 disclose the pusher as particularly adapted for dispensing thin wrapped razor blades. Such blades commonly are quite thin as for example having a thickness of about .004 of an inch and the outside wrapper is likewise thin and furthermore the end of such a wrapped blade package may be somewhat flexible. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 the pusher end portion is split longitudinally for a short distance at its forward edge at each side of the slots 28 as indicated at 34 and 35, and the outer portions 36 and 37 bent upwardly to form a V-notch adapted to receive therein the end of the wrapped blade such as that indicated at 13b in FIG. 5. The arrangement thereby assures that upon depressing the mid portion or" the spring the forward end 23 will engage the end of the wrapped blade and not slide on by.

FIG. 6 shows a modification in which the upper portion of the casing is adapted to receive used blades such as indicated at 38 and for the purpose the end wall 14a has. an additional slit 39 through which the blade may be inserted endwise. The natural curvature of the spring member as indicated at :0 serves to guide the inner end of the inserted used blade into the upper portion of the casing and the tension on the spring enables it simultaneously to compress the stack of new blades 13 into the lower part of the casing and to compress the used blades 38 into the upper portion of the casing.

FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 show another embodiment especially adapted for thin objects such as thin unwrapped razor blades 49. In this case the pusher end 50 of the spring is somewhat thickened and is adapted to reciprocate in a flat bottom rectangular trough 51 in the base plate 52 of the casing. The thickness of the pusher end 5% corresponds to the combined depth of the trough 51 and the thickness of one blade thereby enabling the pusher end to be made thicker and better adapted to picking up one blade and less susceptible to sliding by the bottom blade particularly if the pusher becomes slightly rounded at the forward edges. If desired the end wall 53 may be inclined as shown at 54- and the opposed face of the abutment 55 correspondingly inclined at 56 whereby the rear ends of the blades beginning at tie bottom of the stack are progressively offset rearwardly one from the other, thereby further insuring that the pusher 50 will pick up only the bottom blade. As in the previous form the front wall 53 has an exit slot 57 and if desired may also have a slot 58 for receiving used blades as in the form of FIG. 6.

Since additional changes may be made in the dispenser and further embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof it will be understood that all matter contained herein shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

We claim:

1. A dispenser for wrapped safety razor blades comprising a casing provided with an end Wall and a bottom wall, an abutment within said casing spaced from'said end wall and defining with said bottom wall and said end wall a space for a stack of the wrapped blades with ends thereof arranged adjacent said abutment, said end wall having a slit adapted to permit exit of the bottom blade of the stack, a fiat relatively stifi elastic band member having a curved portion at one end arranged to exert an elastic pressure on the top of said stack and the opposite end being curved around into engagement with said bottom. wall, said opposite end of the band having a slot therein adapted to receive said abutment, the forward end of each band section at the sides of said slot being longitudinally split a short distance and appropriately bent to form a V-notch open at the said forward end to insure engagement therein of the Wrapped end of the blade next said bottom Wall upon compression of an intermediate portion of said elastic member, said elastic member being self-restoring upon release of compression on said intermediate portion. I V

2. A dispenser for blades comprising a casing provided with an end wall and top and bottom walls, an abutment within said casing spaced from said end wall and defining with said bottom wall and said end wall a space for a stack of the blades with ends thereof arranged adjacent said abutment, a fiat relatively stiff elastic band member having a curved portion at one end arranged between said top wall and the stack and adapted to exert an elastic pressure on the top of said stack, said end wall having a first slit adapted to permit the exit of the bottom blade of the stack, and a second slit adapted to permit the insertion of used blades between said top wall and said curved band portion, said band member presenting a smooth curved area toward said second slit for the free reception and guidance of an inserted blade, the opposite end of said elastic band member being curved around into engagement with said bottom wall, said opposite end of the band and said abutment being complementally formed to permit said opposite end to advance past the abutment into engagement with the bottom blade to advance it through the exit slit.

3. A dispenser for fiat generally rectangular objects comprising a casing provided with a first end wall, a second end wall, and a bottom wall, an abutment within said casing spaced intermediate said end walls and defining with said bottom wall and said first end wall a chamber for a stack of the objects with ends thereof arranged ad jacent said abutment and resting on said bottom Wall, said abutment also defining with said bottom wall and said second end Wall a second chamber with a top opening, a fiat relatively stilt elastic band member having a curved portion at one end arranged to exert an elastic pressure on the top of said stack and extending around with a second curved portion in said second chamber and with the end opposite to said one end in engagement with said bottom wall, said abutment having slot means adjacent the bottom wall adapted to permit the said opposite end of the elastic member to pass into said first chamber, said first end Wall having a slot for the exit of the bottom object, downward manual pressure through said top opening on said second portion of the elastic member toward the bottom wall serving to cause tie said opposite end of the elastic member to engage an end of the bottom object and advance it out the slot in said first end wall.

4. A dispenser in accordance with claim 3 in which the slot means of said abutment adjacent the bottom wall comprises a slot at each side edge of the abutment with a solid mid portion and the said opposite end of the elastic member is slotted longitudinally and adapted to straddle the mid portion of the abutment with portions of the clastic member slidab'le in the slots at the side edges of the abutment.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,286,809 Shaw Dec. 3, 1918 1,751,169 Parker Mar. 18, 1930 1,791,586 Todd Feb. 10, 1931 2,308,383 Muros June 12, 194-3 

2. A DISPENSER FOR BLADES COMPRISING A CASING PROVIDED WITH AN END WALL AND TOP AND BOTTOM WALLS, AN ABUTMENT WITHIN SAID CASING SPACED FROM SAID END WALL AND DEFINING WITH SAID BOTTOM WALL AND SAID END WALL A SPACE FOR A STACK OF THE BLADES WITH ENDS THEREOF ARRANGED ADJACENT SAID ABUTMENT, A FLAT RELATIVELY STIFF ELASTIC BAND MEMBER HAVING A CURVED PORTION AT ONE END ARRANGED BETWEEN SAID TOP WALL AND THE STACK AND ADAPTED TO EXERT AN ELASTIC PRESSURE ON THE STACK, SAID END WALL HAVING A FIRST SLIT ADAPTED TO PERMIT THE EXIT OF THE BOTTOM BLADE OF THE STACK, AND A SECOND SLIT ADAPTED TO PERMIT THE INSERTION OF USED BALDES BETWEEN SAID TOP WALL AND SAID CURVED BAND PORTION, SAID BAND MEMBER PRESENTING A SMOOTH CURVED AREA TOWARD SAID SECOND SLIT FOR THE FREE RECEPTION AND GUIDANCE OF AN INSERTED BLADE, THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID ELASTIC BAND MEMBER BEING CURVED AROUND INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID BOTTOM WALL, SAID OPPOSITE END OF THE BAND AND SAID ABUTMENT BEING COMPLEMENTALLY FORMED TO PERMIT SAID OPPOSITE END TO ADVANCE PAST THE ABUTMENT INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE BOTTOM BLADE TO ADVANCE IT THROUGH THE EXIT SLIT. 